The Green Bay Packers are now 5-3 after they took down the Carolina Panthers 27-19 on “Thursday Night Football” from Lambeau Field, but don’t let the win fool you into thinking everything’s clicking for this team. Sure, they got a victory, powered by Jordan Love’s three touchdown passes and Jonathan Gannon’s defense stacking up six sacks, but there were some serious bumps along the way. Honestly, the early and late struggles were a real head-scratcher, and one glaring issue just won’t go away.
Love Was Electric, Defense Dominant
For the majority of this game, particularly the first three quarters, Jordan Love was absolutely on fire. He sliced and diced the Panthers’ defense, completing 26 of his first 33 passes for a whopping 262 yards and three scores. That’s efficiency, playing on time from the pocket and consistently hitting his targets. Yeah, he threw a pick early in the fourth quarter, which kicked off a disappointing finish for the offense, but for three-quarters of the game, Love was terrific.
Jonathan Gannon’s defense also stepped up huge when it mattered. They were dominant at times, only allowing a paltry three points off three Packers turnovers. Think about that: three turnovers, and the Panthers only got three points from them. The lone points came after a fumbled opening kickoff that basically handed Carolina the ball in field goal range. The Panthers needed some crazy conversions just to score a touchdown in the second half. Up front, the pass-rush was relentless, sacking Bryce Young six times and just consistently blowing up the pocket. That’s how you win games when your offense is a little uneven.
But the Bumps Were Real
Despite the positives, this game started and finished with a whole lot of “what are we doing?” The Packers opened the game by fumbling away the opening kickoff, dropping three first-quarter passes, and committing a pre-snap penalty. That turnover gifted the Panthers three early points. To their credit, Green Bay still ended the first quarter with a lead. They were in complete control for most of the second and third quarters, sitting pretty with a 20-10 lead at the half and a 27-13 lead heading into the fourth, with a chance to really put the game away.
Then, bang! Jordan Love threw a pick on the second play of the fourth quarter, turning the whole game on its head. Suddenly, the Panthers scored on a 70-yard drive and had the ball down just one score with a chance to tie. What should have been a comfortable, multi-score victory turned into an absolute nail-biter because of costly mistakes and, you guessed it, the inability to run the ball. And if that wasn’t enough, Trey Smack missed an extra point. The kicking worries are still lingering, and that lost point absolutely mattered, keeping the Panthers within striking distance late.
The Ugly Truth: No Run Game
Forget the good and the bad; the ugly truth for this team is their run game. It’s a real problem. Aaron Banks returned to the lineup at left guard, and Josh Jacobs got a full workload against what was, heading into Week 8, the NFL’s worst run defense. So, what happened? It wasn’t nearly enough to wake up Green Bay’s dormant ground attack. Jacobs turned 21 rushes into a dismal 39 yards. And get this: 18 of the Packers’ grand total of 66 rushing yards came on one well-executed Savion Williams gadget play. The 25 designed runs to running backs gained only 48 yards. Jacobs didn’t even have a run longer than six yards.
Seriously, it’s starting to look like the Packers’ run game just isn’t going to happen in 2026. This is a historically bad start; they’re just the 14th team since 1935 to rush for fewer than 500 yards in the first eight games of the season. Despite the win, this Green Bay team has some serious questions to answer, especially about their ground attack. Can they fix this historically bad run game before it truly derails their season?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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